Telehealth Rapid Response and Research Center Program (US)

Deadline: 15-Apr-25

The Health Resources and Services Administration announces the opportunity to apply for funding for the Telehealth Rapid Response Center and the Telehealth Research Center Program to fund research that expands the evidence base to inform policy and programs for telehealth services in underserved populations in the United States.

The research supported through this program will inform providers, policymakers, and telehealth stakeholders on the latest trends and data impacting telehealth disparities and access, telehealth providers, flexibilities for telehealth care, and continued services for telehealth utilization in various specialties and via different modalities.

The two announcements under this funding opportunity are as follows:

• The Telehealth Rapid Response Center will conduct rapid telehealth data analyses and short-term, issue-specific telehealth research studies to provide stakeholders and the public with resources to understand the impact of telehealth policies and regulations. It will also provide information to improve telehealth access for underserved populations in the United States.
• The Telehealth Research Center will conduct clinically informed and policy-relevant health services research to expand the evidence base for telehealth services.

Funding Information and Duration

• Expected total available funding in FY2025: $950,000
• They plan to fund awards in five 12-month budget periods for a total 5-year period of performance from September 1, 2025, to August 31, 2030.

Program Requirements and Expectations 

• Telehealth Rapid Response Center
  • The Telehealth Rapid Response Center funded under HRSA-25-044 will:
    • Produce at least 4 high-quality studies each award year on an expedited time frame (for example, 1 to 3 months) for current and emerging telehealth issues for various audiences, and that cannot be accommodated by the Telehealth Research Center.
    • Have access to and maintain a repository of national data sets that include telehealth and telehealth-related variables, such as remote patient monitoring. These datasets will be current, cleaned, and geocoded. They include, but are not limited to, HHS data from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) (for example, Medicare and Medicaid files), and HRSA, as well as health care professional association data sets. You will be expected to share access to data sources for any data used to produce final deliverables with your OAT project officer.
    • Staff a rapid response data analysis team capable of responding, within 5 to 10 business days, to an estimated 1 to 2 data analysis requests per month from telehealth stakeholders. Compile, analyze, and evaluate data to enhance knowledge about the impact of national telehealth care policies.
• Telehealth Research Center
  • The Telehealth Research Center funded under HRSA-25-045 will:
    • Conduct five clinically informed and policy-relevant health services research projects, each over a 1-year period, to expand the evidence base for telehealth services in rural and underserved populations in the United States. Synthesize the results into reports or other work products developed for both technical and nontechnical audiences
    • Assess the comparative effectiveness of specific telehealth services relative to inperson or hybrid services in the same clinical area, examine the impact of health care policies on the provision of telehealth services, and analyze the cost effectiveness of telehealth services. Potential areas of interest include teleemergency services, tele-behavioral health services (including substance use treatment services), and remote patient monitoring.
    • Publish the outcomes of telehealth research findings in peer-reviewed journals.
    • Update preexisting research that has become outdated.
    • Publish telehealth research findings in peer-reviewed journals.

Eligibility Criteria

• These types of domestic organizations may apply:
  • Public institutions of higher education
  • Private institutions of higher education
  • Non-profits with or without a 501(c)(3) IRS status
  • For-profit organizations, including small businesses
  • State, county, city, township, and special district governments, including the District of Columbia, domestic territories, and freely associated states
  • Independent school districts
  • Native American tribal governments
  • Native American tribal organizations

For more information, visit Grants.gov.